Family Member Deaths and the Risk of Obesity Among American Young Adults

Abstract

The death of a family member is a stressful life event that undermines survivors’ health. However, most research in this area focuses on spousal deaths among older, white adults. This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to examine the association between the death of a range of family members and obesity among diverse American adults aged 33–43. One-third of U.S. young adults report having experienced the death of one or more close family members, with Black adults experiencing these losses much more frequently than White or Hispanic adults. Results using logistic regression models show that the death of two or more family members is associated with higher odds of young adult obesity compared to those who have experienced no family member deaths by young adulthood. Further, findings suggest the relationship between the death of family members and obesity differs by race/ethnicity. The probability of obesity is uniformly around 50–55 percent for Black adults who experienced zero, one, or two or more family member deaths. Meanwhile, the probability of obesity among White adults is significantly higher for those who experienced two or more family member deaths compared to those who experienced zero or one death. In addition, we found no association between family member death and obesity among Hispanic adults, although statistical power is limited. All told, the findings point to family member death as a significant risk factor for obesity among young Americans.